#honestly if you can fix a cord on an appliance you can replace an automotive wiring connector

[rhysintherain]

Tracked down a starter connector for my neighbor today, and it occurred to me this might be a useful thing to tell people about.

If an electrical connector on your car breaks, lots of shops won't have access to the parts to rebuild or replace just the connector. I've had parts stores have no listings for any wiring bits, and dealerships for some brands quote me a whole harness (usually over a grand just for the part) for a broken connector.

Wreckers, on the other hand, don't usually care about whole harnesses, because they're too hard to take out in one piece.

So if you need a connector replaced, see if you can find a wrecking yard who's willing to cut out the one you need with a few inches of wire attached for you. Usually they're only charging you for the time it takes to go get it, since they don't usually save them.

Bonus points if you know a thing or two about cars and know what you're looking for, because usually wreckers I've worked with just send me out with an apprentice to cut it out myself. That way I get exactly what I'm looking for and they don't have to look for it.

Anyway, this is maybe the one thing that has saved me the most money as a mechanic. Hopefully somebody here gets some mileage out of it.